Halford's Carrera Bikes - any good?

road54

Hi there,

I am really interested in buying a road bike. I have been cycling only for a year now and like it so much that I want to get more serious. I have been looking at Halford's website page and they seem to have many on sale, i'm kinda interested in the Carrera bikes http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/categorydisplay_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_categoryId_212536_langId_-1

Does anyone know if Halford's are good to buy off of? Smaller independant shops don't seem to have good bargains the way Halford's do.

Also, does anyone know if Carrera is good. I am kinda afraid to buy a really expensive road bike like Trek or Giant in case it gets robbed in Dublin City.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks a mill!

donal7

road54 wrote: »

Hi there,

I am really interested in buying a road bike. I have been cycling only for a year now and like it so much that I want to get more serious. I have been looking at Halford's website page and they seem to have many on sale, i'm kinda interested in the Carrera bikes http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/categorydisplay_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_categoryId_212536_langId_-1

Does anyone know if Halford's are good to buy off of? Smaller independant shops don't seem to have good bargains the way Halford's do.

Also, does anyone know if Carrera is good. I am kinda afraid to buy a really expensive road bike like Trek or Giant in case it gets robbed in Dublin City.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks a mill!

I have a Carrera Hybrid, got it as a present. It's been a pretty decent bike and I would recommend to others. I've done over 3500km on it without one single problem. I'll be upgrading to a road bike next year.

greenspurs

i bought a Carrera.
Good bike, for the money. I bought it as a cycle to work bike, but then i got back into cycling and started going out for longer spins, so if i had known that i would have probably got a more 'expensive/better' bike.
But saying that, i have no trouble with it at all ! Not even a puncture ..
The saddle is great, Brakes are adequate.
wheels are light , but strong.
The gear shifts are a wee bit difficult to change. The 'upshift' are little levers/switch on the inside of rubber cover of the brake levers, thus making them hard to get to when you are on the drops....
Gear changing / deraileurs are quite good, no trouble.

overall - It is a good buy for the money, but if you are gonna do a lot of mileage, maybe go for a higher grade bike. But the Carerra is a good bike.

greenspurs

Sorry. Had no trouble with HAlfords either. If your doing the "cycle to work" scheme, it took a week from choosing the bike, cheque, to recieving the bike.
The bike was assembled wel, Altho i did check everything myself, and did find a few loose nuts.... And they have a free 6 mth check up !

killalanerr

Same as greenspurs got my TDF when i wasnt doing that much biking and it served me well for 10 years clocking up some big miles on it over the years,its not the bike i would have bought if i knew what i know now but it served me well
i still use it as my main training bike but i have changed most of the components on the bike at this stage,but ya a good bike for the money

RidleyRider

road54 wrote: »

Hi there,

I am really interested in buying a road bike. I have been cycling only for a year now and like it so much that I want to get more serious. I have been looking at Halford's website page and they seem to have many on sale, i'm kinda interested in the Carrera bikes http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/categorydisplay_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_categoryId_212536_langId_-1

Does anyone know if Halford's are good to buy off of? Smaller independant shops don't seem to have good bargains the way Halford's do.

Also, does anyone know if Carrera is good. I am kinda afraid to buy a really expensive road bike like Trek or Giant in case it gets robbed in Dublin City.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks a mill!

If you can avail of the BTW scheme, go down that route and you'll end up with a much better spec of a bike than any Carrera you'll buy in Halfords.

studiorat

The Boardman road bikes from that shop get great reviews. The Road Team or something comes in at just above the grand and is supposed to be the business...

road54

Thanks very much for all the advice, much, much appreciated!

Seaneh

The TDF is back down to €374 again, for the money ifs a decent bike to be honest.

a148pro

I have the TDF, good cheap entry level bike if youre not sure how into it you're going to be, would be a decent wet weather / training bike if you got more into it and bought something better.

Bear in mind that the pedal loop things are pants and you could to with buying a pair of clip on cleats and the shoes to go with them. Also in my experience the tyres were also pants, began to get a puncture pretty much every time I went out in them. Picked up a pair of replacement ones relatively cheap on line and no problems since.

You really can't go wrong at the price of the TDF. Bike snobs will look down on you though. I was out the 40 foot once and one of the lads said 'Where'd your man get his bike, Centra?' :D:D. Even the scobes knew it was a cheapie!

Darkglasses

Seaneh wrote: »

The TDF is back down to €374 again, for the money ifs a decent bike to be honest.

It is, but I'd put it is as strictly good enough for a beginner's bike. For someone like the OP who's cycling for a full year and committed to cycling for a long time, I think it'd be well worth spending a few bob more to get things like a decent groupset, carbon forks, decent wheels. 11.7 kilos sounds a bit heavy too.

Seaneh

Darkglasses wrote: »

It is, but I'd put it is as strictly good enough for a beginner's bike. For someone like the OP who's cycling for a full year and committed to cycling for a long time, I think it'd be well worth spending a few bob more to get things like a decent groupset, carbon forks, decent wheels. 11.7 kilos sounds a bit heavy too.

If he want something for a weekend spins and commuting, its fine for the price.

If he wants to actually get into the whole cycling thing, I'd spend as much as you can afford... If you can stretch to €750 you can get a Cannondale CAAD8 with the 2300 groupset.

Brad768

For a bit more you can pick up a Carrera Zelos for €412 at the minute. I got one but wont be in my hands until a month today.
It'll be my first road bike that I will only be using for weekend spins for a while. If I'm into the whole shabang I'll be getting a better one down the line.
The main reason I went for the Zelos was because I much preferred it looks wise. Getting rid of the white bar tape though and changing it to black, for convenience really...
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_888017_langId_-1_categoryId_212536#tab2

xbox gamer

Also got the TDF about this time last year. I got it for the 375 that was mentioned above. I was wary of making a huge purchase incase i didn't like cycling. It is a decent bike for the price. Its a bike that'll hold its value also and if you are using the bike to work maybe hold off until purchasing a more expensive bike. The few things always said about the bike is the weight, tyres and front chainset. The bike is 11.7kg but the extra weight i treat as an extra challenge to be fitter. On the other hand if you lose a few kilos yourself its the same. I never had a problem with the tyres for the first nine months until i suffered i blowout. Its probably best if you get a compact chainset to be able to get up the hills. There is a cheap one on Rosebikes that i put on mine. Its a very easy job with the necessary tools. Overall its a great first bike that I'll hopefully have for a long while, even if it becomes a training/winter bike

goldenwonder

carrera zelos or btwin triban 3?
what do you reckon.
the triban is out of stock till further notice but may be slightly bigger for 6"4.

goldenwonder

carrera zelos or btwin triban 3?
what do you reckon.
the triban is out of stock till further notice but may be slightly bigger for 6"4.

also the other triban is slightly cheaper and in stock but doesnt have carbon forks. so more like the carrera.

Trhiggy83

Check out these puppies, €1 euro delivery from the Uk


http://www.sportsdirect.com/SearchResults?DescriptionFilter=road%20bikes

Have a good day

goldenwonder

thanks
which would you recommend?

LiamOSullivan

I bought a carrera virtuoso in the middle of last summer, and it's served me pretty well. As was mentioned before, the gears aren't fantastic, but they're far from a deal breaker.
Generally, they're not incredible bikes, but they seem to be the best you'll get for the money. I would recommend a virtuoso looking at something in the ~€500 range.

goldenwonder

the zelos is 374 now which is pretty much the same as the btwin up north but may be smaller than what i need.

Brad768

I've had the zelos since early December. It's been doing me well and haven't run into any problems. I don't find the gears that bad. They needed a bit of fine tuning but now they're grand. Could be smoother but, hey ho

Nedkelly24

bought carrera virtuosa last year...no problems so far...great bike..love passing out all the snobs on their "real bikes".. clasic... :-)

goldenwonder

Nedkelly24 wrote: »

bought carrera virtuosa last year...no problems so far...great bike..love passing out all the snobs on their "real bikes".. clasic... :-)

so theres no point wating for something like this then
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-road-bike-out-of-stock-id_8167038.html
or buying this
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-road-bike-white-id_8239800.html

at this point im mostly worried about size.
i was told to not get a 58, but a m/l giant seemed comfortable enough when i tried it.

Brad768

Get whatever feels most comfortable, when your sitting on a bike for 2-5 hours, if you're not comfortable you will regret it.

paulgalway

Halfords have increased price of Zelos 2013 to €437.49

Galway has a 2012 model still at €374.

2 Wheels Good

Trhiggy83 wrote: »

Check out these puppies, €1 euro delivery from the Uk


http://www.sportsdirect.com/SearchResults?DescriptionFilter=road%20bikes

Have a good day

Just bought one of these, too tempting to pass. Nice btw bike, cheers for the link.

Brad768

paulgalway wrote: »

Halfords have increased price of Zelos 2013 to €437.49

Galway has a 2012 model still at €374.

Did they only have the one? Friend of mine is looking to get one but wont be in Galway until a week or two.

charlieIRL

Brad768 wrote: »

Did they only have the one? Friend of mine is looking to get one but wont be in Galway until a week or two.

last one in Galway at €374 is gone - my brother in law picked it up yesterday! They are back at €438 now.

Zorba

Anyone know which way the Halfords sales work, they have the virtuoso on sale on the UK site but it's still full price here. The tdf bike us full price on both sites.

Would there be any chance either if these bikes might be on sale here anytime soon ?

paulgalway

Zorba wrote: »

Anyone know which way the Halfords sales work, they have the virtuoso on sale on the UK site but it's still full price here. The tdf bike us full price on both sites.

Would there be any chance either if these bikes might be on sale here anytime soon ?

Can you go to North?

Newry: Virtuoso is £379.99 (€445.44)
Here: Virtuoso is €687.49

Saving of €242.

Allowing for petrol/Tolls, you could still save €200 approx.

Zorba

paulgalway wrote: »

Can you go to North?

Newry: Virtuoso is £379.99 (€445.44)
Here: Virtuoso is €687.49

Saving of €242.

Allowing for petrol/Tolls, you could still save €200 approx.

Yes but can't do the b2w scheme in Newry.

Zorba

Dunno if anyone is interested but that Carrera Virtuoso is now reduced to €475, discount of €212

eamon0989

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_888023_langId_-1_categoryId_212536

cruhoortwunk

Got a Zelos for €300. Seems decent so far. I only use it for commuting, so didn't need anything special.
Saddle and pedals are terrible, I will be replacing them.

MiskyBoyy

cruhoortwunk wrote: »

Got a Zelos for €300. Seems decent so far. I only use it for commuting, so didn't need anything special.
Saddle and pedals are terrible, I will be replacing them.

Was looking at buying one myself, first time road bike. Looking at it for a pastime. Need something to get out of the house!

Dcully

I have a Carrera TDF about 4 months now and no issues at all, done about 2,500k so far ,yeah its a heavy yoke but for my level its fine.
I will need new tyres soon however.

Scrappy600

Have mine about three months or so I think and approaching 700km with longest spin being 62k. Saddle causing some numbness and tyres replaced as the rear blew out. Gears are a pain to fine tune but not even near unusable. Plan on doing the first two legs of cycle against suicide in April in it and the dsi cycle in May across the gap and can't see it letting me down.

BadCharlie

Scrappy600 wrote: »

Have mine about three months or so I think and approaching 700km with longest spin being 62k. Saddle causing some numbness and tyres replaced as the rear blew out. Gears are a pain to fine tune but not even near unusable. Plan on doing the first two legs of cycle against suicide in April in it and the dsi cycle in May across the gap and can't see it letting me down.

Very much the same as my TDF. Saddle hurts on longer spins so thinking in changing. Had to change the tires due to chunks of rubber missing "high grip but found them soft" & the gears for me have been a bit of a pain, not smooth changing at times.

But over all happy with it.

OREGATO

Bought the Zelos on Sunday for €299, asked them to replace the pedals when building the bike as the originals are pretty bad.

So far, I find it very decent, it's sturdy and does me for my needs. Have racked up around 60kms on it so far and it's been great.

I'm coming from a Felt Hybrid which I plan for more social spins with the OH on the weekends etc.

The gears are fine on mine, I'm finding the gears a little limiting in terms of out right speed, but so far, for a beginners bike, I can't fault it. I'll probably use it for the next 3 - 6 months and then upgrade to something else.

Thread on some advice I received here which might be useful to some: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057117323

Macy0161

If you don't mind me asking, whats the sizing like on the zelos? I was just about to pull the trigger on the large, but I noticed it says 54cm frame size on the large, which doesn't actually seem very large to me. I'm 6ft, with 31inch inside leg - it's my first non-BSO, and it suits the budget as I can use the BTW on a mountain bike (which I probably see as my primary recreational cycling to be honest!).

Reserved the large one anyway, I guess I'll see about the sizing!

rollingscone

I spotted a tdf frame in town during the week that had been fitted with higher end components (afair da rd/105cset and 105 shifters plus good wheels) it was a curious sight indeed

Scrappy600

rollingscone wrote: »

I spotted a tdf frame in town during the week that had been fitted with higher end components (afair da rd/105cset and 105 shifters plus good wheels) it was a curious sight indeed

I suppose you could get caught up in trying to improve what is a budget base model bike, I have thought about a carbon fork and bars for mine to bring down the weight but I just don't think spending money on it is a worthwhile investment, I'd rather do my time on it and upgrade outright

BadCharlie

I changed the wheels on my TDF, was having problems at the time with the wheels that came with the TDF. I agree i don't think any other upgrades on the bike would be worth while.

Did get a free groupset of Shimano Tiagra in my shed so i might fit it during the year. Would have not bought it, but as it was free why not.

Red Kev

Macy0161 wrote: »

If you don't mind me asking, whats the sizing like on the zelos? I was just about to pull the trigger on the large, but I noticed it says 54cm frame size on the large, which doesn't actually seem very large to me. I'm 6ft, with 31inch inside leg - it's my first non-BSO, and it suits the budget as I can use the BTW on a mountain bike (which I probably see as my primary recreational cycling to be honest!).

Reserved the large one anyway, I guess I'll see about the sizing!

You'll just have to go and try it on in the shop. I've the same issue, 5'9" and a 29" leg so I'd disregard all sizes on the net and try it out in person. Got the Zelos last March, have done a few thousand KM on it and I'm very happy with it. I actually took the rear wheel off, put it on another bike and cycled both the Royal and Grand Canal last summer, no bother to it. Well worth the money IMO.

rollingscone

Scrappy600 wrote: »

I suppose you could get caught up in trying to improve what is a budget base model bike, I have thought about a carbon fork and bars for mine to bring down the weight but I just don't think spending money on it is a worthwhile investment, I'd rather do my time on it and upgrade outright

I'd imagined that it was someone so drowned in high end parts that they put their oldest DA and wheelset on their beater!

Jen1607

I have a Zelos. Got it about 2 weeks ago and love it! Got a puncture already though so not going to waste my time on endless tubes and ordered a new set of Maxxis Detonator tyres to replace the cheap Kendra ones it comes with. I'm a kind of strange measurement I'm 5.6" with a 30" leg and the 51 frame does me fine. My roomate has the TDF, he's bang on 6ft not sure about the leg measurement but he has the 51 frame too. Hope this helps.

BofaDeezNuhtz

Scrappy600 wrote: »

I suppose you could get caught up in trying to improve what is a budget base model bike, I have thought about a carbon fork and bars for mine to bring down the weight but I just don't think spending money on it is a worthwhile investment, I'd rather do my time on it and upgrade outright

Mental heavy frame. I'd rather buy a secondhand yoke tbh.
Somebodys BTW bike that they did 20k on then retired it

Jen1607 wrote: »

My roomate has the TDF, he's bang on 6ft not sure about the leg measurement but he has the 51 frame too. Hope this helps.

Thats sounds a bit mad tbh, 6ft on a 51 frame might suit if
hes a lower leg amputee maybe lol

Essien

Sorry to bump an old thread but I'm also looking at getting a bike and the Carrera's in Halfords seem reasonable.

I'm completely new to cycling and I'm really just looking for something to take for a spin a couple of times a week. It's primarily to build up some fitness/ endurance outside of the gym.

I'm trying to stay below €400.

The Zelos is €379, but there are 2 Crixus' listed at €310, which includes a discount of €489 (seems mad tbh).

Are the Crixus as good a deal as they appear to be or would the Zelos be similar.

In any case, could anybody recommend any of them.

Thanks.

StevieGriff

Essien wrote: »

Sorry to bump an old thread but I'm also looking at getting a bike and the Carrera's in Halfords seem reasonable.

I'm completely new to cycling and I'm really just looking for something to take for a spin a couple of times a week. It's primarily to build up some fitness/ endurance outside of the gym.

I'm trying to stay below €400.

The Zelos is €379, but there are 2 Crixus' listed at €310, which includes a discount of €489 (seems mad tbh).

Are the Crixus as good a deal as they appear to be or would the Zelos be similar.

In any case, could anybody recommend any of them.

Thanks.

No. They're heavy as hell, brakes are awful and they've the weirdest frame sizes...manically long top tubes!

cruhoortwunk

Essien wrote: »

Sorry to bump an old thread but I'm also looking at getting a bike and the Carrera's in Halfords seem reasonable.

I'm completely new to cycling and I'm really just looking for something to take for a spin a couple of times a week. It's primarily to build up some fitness/ endurance outside of the gym.

I'm trying to stay below €400.

The Zelos is €379, but there are 2 Crixus' listed at €310, which includes a discount of €489 (seems mad tbh).

Are the Crixus as good a deal as they appear to be or would the Zelos be similar.

In any case, could anybody recommend any of them.

Thanks.

I got a zelos this time last year and it is fairly ****, you get what you pay for in this case. Very slow, which I think is down to the weight. I use my Giant basic mountain bike and it's actually faster. Too few gears too, you will find downhill that the gears ratio doesnt go high enough to give you extra pace.
Pedals and saddle are both unusable, so factor in the cost of replacing them.

lennymc

i find some of the carrera bikes to be very good bike - the TDF is a good bike - it is normally released in march or april. I recently purchased a carrera virtuoso and it's a fine bike. It is 8 spd, simple, not too fancy and cheap. Yeah, it's heavy, but that is down to the wheels, (which look bomb proof). The crixus looked ok in the shop. if I was using one for the road I would get better tyres and maybe wheels and brakes (although I have seen people race cx with tektro oryx brakes). The rest of the bike is fairly standard 8 spd shimano claris drive train. I actually went in to buy one but the virtuoso was on a ridiculous special offer cos it was last years bike so I got that one instead. The only thing I plan on changing are the wheels (going to use a power tap rear and a dynamo hub front) and to add bottle cages, pedals, mudguards and a second layer of bar tape.